Green Shakshuka with Chickpeas & Halloumi

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Jasmine

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Shakshuka is one of my favourite healthy, tasty and hearty brunch recipes, which I shared here. It’s typically made with spices, tomatoes and eggs. And today I’m back with a non-traditional but extra healthy extra tasty (in my humble opinion!) spin on the dish…

INGREDIENTS

Aromatics and flavour:

Garlic

Shallots

Ras el hanout (a North African spice blend – if you can’t find it, use cumin)

Za’atar (another spice blend – use sesame seeds and dried oregano if you can’t find this)

Green:

Green chilli

Leeks

Courgette

Spinach

Kale (I used half and half curly kale and Cavolo Nero for variation)

Spring onions (for garnish)

Lime juice (to squeeze on at the end)

Extra-virgin olive oil (for cooking but also as an optional final garnish)

Coriander

Parsley

Dill

Protein and fats:

Chickpeas (canned or jarred)

Eggs

Halloumi

Accompaniments:

I recommend serving this with some form of bread to dip into the egg yolk – this can be some toasted sourdough, a flatbread etc. – I used a za’atar foccacia I made

TIPS / NOTES

This is a simple recipe so my main tips are to pan fry the halloumi and chickpeas separately beforehand to add some textural variation and to make sure you chop all of your components into bite-sized chunks that can be scooped onto a bread of your choice. Additionally, you might be able to tell from my photos that I let this sit for just a touch too long whilst messing around with my camera set up. So, another tip is to ensure you keep a very close eye on the eggs whilst they cook as just 30 seconds over will solidify them a little too much to get that solid white and runny yolk. I also strongly recommend following my instructions to blanch the leafy greens before use to preserve that vibrant, appetising green colour.

Green Shakshuka with Chickpeas & Halloumi

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A fresh green take on the classic egg dish packed with nutrition

No special equipment or advance prep needed (I recommend using cheesecloth for the blanching process but you can use your hands if needed)


Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 75g of chickpeas (precooked, drained, rinsed and patted dry)
  • 85g of halloumi (cut into small chunks)
  • 1 shallot (finely chopped)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (pressed, grated or finely chopped)
  • 1 small green chilli (finely chopped)
  • 1 courgette (sliced in half and then finely into semi-circles)
  • 1 leek (trimmed, halved and finely sliced into semi-circles)
  • 80g of kale (de-stemmed)
  • 1 tsp of ras el hanout
  • 1 tsp of za’atar
  • 1 lime (cut into quarters)
  • 1 spring onion (finely sliced at an angle)
  • a small handful (c. 5g) of fresh parsley (de-stemmed and chopped)
  • a small handful (c. 5g) of fresh dill (de-stemmed and chopped)
  • a small handful (c. 5g) of fresh coriander (de-stemmed and chopped)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for cooking (+ extra as a final garnish if desired)
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Boil the kettle then take a large, wide-based lidded pan and heat a drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat and add the chickpeas, ras el hanout and season with salt and pepper to taste – pan-fry for 5-7 minutes (tossing occasionally) until they pick up some colour and crisp up (once done – set aside and wipe any residue from the pan)
  2. In the same pan, fry the halloumi until golden on several sides, carefully turning at regular intervals with tongs – this should take 5-7 minutes in total (set aside once done – no need to clean the pan, we will deglaze it in the next step)
  3. Add the courgettes with no oil to the pan and salt generously – cook for around 7 minutes until much of the moisture has been sweated out and evaporated off
  4. Meanwhile, prepare two bowls – one with very cold water (plus some ice, if you have it) and one with boiling water
  5. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the coutgettes, the garlc, chilli, shallot, leeks and za’atar, season to taste and sauté for 5-10 minutes
  6. Whilst the vegetables cook together, use a pair of tongs to dunk the kale and spinach into the boiling water, swirl the greens around for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted and dunk them directly into the ice bath (you may need to do this in batches)
  7. Wring the excess water out of the greens using cheesecloth or your hands and chop them before adding them to the pan, along with the halloumi and chickpeas
  8. Stir everything together and season again if requried and use your spoon to make 3 small gaps in the mixture
  9. Drop an egg into each slot, cover and allow to cook for up to 5 minutes until the whites are just cooked and yolks are runny
  10. Serve topped with the fresh herbs sprinkled over, the spring onions and optional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Let me know if you try my green shakshuka! And see the video here:

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